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I'm sorry, but I don't think the answer to reckless teen driving is to rise the age you can get a licence to 18. This would punish

responsible teens who abide the law. Besides, allowing government to have more control in our lives is probably not a good idea;

and what would stop an 18-year-old from speeding? Responsible driving can be preformed at age 16, we just need to have strict

guidelines.

My father worked as a driver's licence examiner in Pennsylvania for years before he transferred to the liqueur control board. He was

very strict with me when it came time to teach me to drive, and I must say I turned out the better for it. First, I started driving in the

yard- which was large, and then parking lots. He wanted to make sure I got the feel of the car before he took me on the road. Good

thing because it was a very sporty SAAB 900, the family car.

Next, I entered driver's training at my high school. Besides driving with my dad, I got the additional experience of driving after school

and practicing parallel parking and K-Turns. By the time my test rolled around, I felt confident and I passed both the written

and driving test in one-shot. Back when I was in high school, there were no set hours you had to drive, but I think driver's training

should be mandatory for all NEW drivers.

By being able to have my licence at 16 or 17, I was able to accomplish a lot more. I got an after-school job and didn't need a ride

from my parents. Was able to drive myself to the boarding barn to ride my horse and take care of her whenever I needed- no

parents. I was also able to visit my grandma and run errands for her; going to the store, getting her mail, ect. Having to be

dependent on my parents for another two years would've been a huge set-back.

I will say there is definatley a need to address crazy teen drivers. A new driver whether 16, 18 or 68, needs to follow strict rules

before they're turned loose. Here's some common sense ideas:

1. Limit the number of teen passengers to two. A car pack-full of teens seems like trouble to me.

2. Make a driver's training class MANDATORY for ALL new drivers. Perhaps require a set-number of supervised driving hours.

3. Train your kids! Parents, your kids learn from you- if you speed, they'll probably speed. By driving properly, you'll set a good

example for them.

4. Control the use of cell phones. Make teens talk on a headset or better yet pull over to talk; and absolutely NO TEXTING! This is

plain stupid.

5. Finally, limit where your kids go if they're newbies. Use common-sense. Don't let them drive down to the cities to go to a concert if

they've just got their licence. Keep it to smaller towns or in your local area for awhile. I believe just turning them loose is a bad idea;

teens need more experience before being given total freedom. Driver's training doesn't teach you everything.

By following common-sense logic, I don't see why a teen can't get their licence at 16. The answer is to be a responsible parent,

teach your kid and monitor where they go- and if they don't like it, tough; it's probably your car.